Glaxo licenses Amicus’ Fabry disease drug

GlaxoSmithKline said it had licensed Amicus Therapeutics’ Amigal, which is in final stage development for the treatment of Fabry disease

Treatments for Fabry disease, an inherited disorder that affects about 5,000 to 10,000 people worldwide, are dominated by US group Genzyme, the world’s most successful developer of rare disease drugs which is being pursued by Sanofi-Aventis, and British firm Shire.

US biotech Amicus will receive an upfront payment of $30m from Glaxo under the terms of the deal and will be eligible for further milestone payments of about $170m, the companies said in a joint statement.

Amigal, or migalastat hydrochloride, is the group’s lead product candidate.